Ignition-tube.



A.. BUTSCH.

IGNITION TUBE.

APPLIoA'rIon rmzn 1120.17, 19m.

i1,025,050. manned Apr. 3o, 1912.

Hulmuull l /0 e ,/f WM 0' y l ,3 y 3 .9 l /l @4 XM 5' g i LV i il" i i j) I+ 2f i 1/ Tl x ALPHONSE BUTSCH, OF ST. LUCIA, BRITISH WEST INDIES.

IGNITION-TUBE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

Application led December 17, 1910. Serial No. 597,807.

To all whom t may concer/n.: Y

B e it known that I, ALPHONSE BUTsoH, a citizen of no country, residing at St. Lucia, in the British West Indies, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ignition- Tubes, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement in. explosive engines and particularly to means for igniting the charge at a predetermined movement of the compression stroke.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of an ignition tube normally maintained at a degree of heat sufficient to ignite the particular gases used and the direction of a portion of t-he fresh charge through said ignition tube at a certain point in the compression of said charge within the cylinder, the depression of the parts serving to utilize the spent or exhausted gases as a means for preventing the fresh charge from reaching the ignition tube except under a predetermined compression of said fresh charge.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means whereby the particular degree of compression at which the fresh charge will enter the ignition tube may be manually controlled in a simple way, whereby, in effect, the ignition may be advanced or retarded as is absolutely essential to the proper working of explosive engines.

The invention in its preferred details of construction will be described in the following specification, reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which the figure represents a sectional view of a portion of the cylinder and piston, illustrating the application of the improved charge igniting means thereto.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawings, it will be understood that-the engine includes the usual cylinder 1 and piston 2 operative therein, which parts, with the exception of the details hereinafter noted, may be of any usual or preferred construction. Secured to the cylinder 1 at the ignition end is what may be termed a by-pass casting 3. This casting includes a base plate 4 shaped to conform to that surface of the cylinder on which it is secured, and lateral extensions 5 and 6 terminate, at the respective ends, in sleevelike extensions, as 7 and 8.

The extension 5 of the casting'is formed with a central bore 9 arranged in open communication with a bore 10 leading through the cylinder wall andvto the interior thereof,'said bore 9 communicating at its outer end with the interior of the sleeve 8. The extension 6 is also formed with a central bore 11 communicating at the inner end with a port 12 opening through the cylinder wall and at the outer end with the interior ofthe sleeve 8. Within the sleeve`7 is mounted a clamping plunger 13, said plunger being slidably mounted in the sleeve and formed at the upper end with a non-circular projection 14 to seat in a similarly formed recess 15 arranged in a plug cap 16 threaded or otherwise removably secured vin the upper end of the sleeve to close the same.` lower end of the plunger extends beyond the similar end of the sleeve 7 and is exteriorly threaded to receive an adjusting nut 17 designed in operation to bear against the lower` end. of vthe sleeve 7, whereby the plunger 13 may be vertically adjusted within the sleeve The while at the same time, through the medium i of the projection 14, being held against rotary movement. The juncture ofthe nut 17 and sleeve end may, if desired, be packed, as at'18, to prevent leakage at this point, and the plunger is formed with a port 19 including two right angularly disposed sections, one of which communicates directly with the bore 9 and the other of whichl opens through the lower end of the plunger. The port 19 is of materially less diameter than that of the bore 9, serving a particular function as will presently appear and at the'same time preventing non-registry of said port and bore within the limited vertical adjustmentof the plunger. The lower end of the plunger is formed with a circular recess 20 and the upper end of the sleeve 8 with a similar recess 21, said recesses, which are disposed in alinement, being adapted to receive the respective ends of an ignition'tube 2 2.; suitable non-heatconducting packing, beyond the respective ends of the ignition tube. The tube 22 is of porcelain or similar material and is maintained at the desired degree of 'heat by any desired means, while the englne 1s running. Y

With-the ignition tube applied it will be obvious from the above described adjustment arranged for the plunger, the.. latter may be operated to secure fixedly in place in a simple manner so-that central bore 24 of the tube is in direct comas 23 being arranged l ythe interior. or l munication and-alinement with the port 19 of the plunger. The interior of the sleeve 8 is, immediately adjacent the proximate end of the ignition tube, formed to provide a valve seat 25, and a valve 26 is arranged for cooperation therewith, said valve being threaded into the sleeve below the bore 1l and provided below the sleeve with a milled disk head 27 for convenience in operation. The usual packing gland or cap 28 is applied to the lower end of the sleeve to prevent leaking.

The piston 2 is formed at an appropriate point with a chamber 29 having a reduced opening 30 leading therefrom through the surface of the piston, which opening is of greater diameter than the similar dimension oit' the opening 12 in the cylinder wall, said openings 12 and 30 being so relatively disposed that they will register to establish communication between the bore 11 and the chamber 29 when the piston is in a certain position within the cylinder.

The parts arranged as described, the operation of the improved ignition device is as follows: Assuming the engine at rest, it will be obvious that the several p-assages, as 10, 9, 19, 24 and l-l are iilled with spent or burned gases and on cranking the engine the charge will open into the cylinder in any of the usual ways and during the compression stroke this charge will be compressed in advance of the piston. The cornpression tends to force some of the live gas through the opening 10, port 9 and succeed-- ing channels, forcinguthe spent gases with which these passages are filled in advance of the live gas. As the passages 19 and 24, however, are materially less in diameter than the passages 9 and 10, it will be obvious, particularl as no outlet is provided beyond the opening 12, that in reality none of the live gases will reach the ignition tube at this time. Just immediately succeeding the end of the compression stroke, however, the chamber 29 in the piston will register with the opening 12 in the cylinder when, if the valve 26 is open, the spent gases will, by the compression of the live gases behind them, be forced into said chamber and the live gases reach the ignition tube to be ignited, flashing back into the clearance space to ignite the charge. As the chamber 29 is arranged to register with the opening 1.2 some little time before the crank of the engine is on the central line and maintains its registery after the crank has passed the central line, there is provided a considerable range :tor exact timing of the explosion at any speed. By regulating the valve 26 an eEect exactly similar to the operation of the timing lever with the usual electric ignition is obtained in an obvious manner, as the valve outlet from the ignition tube by controlling the passage of t-he spent gases, may

be used to advance or retard the ignition. As the ignition tube is maintained at the desired degree of heat., to ignite the charge, and as in t-he operation of the piston a portion of this charge must pass through the ignition tube with certainty, there is no possibility of a missed explosion in the improved ignition device.

The cylinder, at a pointremote from the opening 12, is formed with an additional opening 3l which will register with the chamber 29 on the out stroke of the piston and permit the reduction of the pressure wit-hin the chamber 29 to normal atmospheric pressure.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is l. The combination of an explosive engine including a cylinder formed with spaced openings, an igniting device, a byp-ass casting secured to the cylinder and having port bores communicating with said openings, one of said openings having communication with the combustion chamber of the cylinder, and the other of said openings being positioned tobe normally closed by the engine piston so as to prevent the escape of gas from the igniting device, said secondnamed opening adapted to be uncovered by the engine, piston when the same reaches its highest point of compression whereby to release the gases in the igniting device, said igniting device comprising a plunger carried by the casting and formed `with a. right angular opening, one section of said opening communicating with one of the bores, means for adjusting the plunger longitudinally, and an'ignition tube, arranged in communication with the second-named opening, said casting being formed to receive one end of said tube and the plunger being formed to receive the other end thereof and in communication therewith, whereby in the vertical adjustment of the plunger the tube may` be liXed in place, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of an explosive en@ gine including a cylinder formed with spaced openings, an igniting device, a bypass casting secured to the cylinder and having port bores communicating with said openings, one ofsaid openings having communication with the combustion chamber of the cylinder, and the other of said openings being positioned to be normally closed by the engine piston so as to prevent the escape of gas from the igniting device, said secondnamed opening adapted to be uncovered by the engine piston when the same reaches its highest point of compression whereby to release the gases in the igniting device, said igniting device comprising sleeves formed integral with said by-pass'casting and in plunger adjustably mounted in the upper one of said sleeves and having communica tion at one end with the opening in the combustion chamber and its opposite end in communication with the igniting device and provided on its upper surface with a noncircular projection, a plug cap removably mounted in said sleeve above the said plunger and formed with a non-circular recess adapted to receive said projection, and an adjusting nut carried by said plunger and engaging the lower end of said sleeve, said adjusting nut permitting longitudinal movement of the plunger relative to the said sleeve and plug cap, and an ignition tube, one end of said tube being carried by one of the said sleeves and the plunger being formed to receive the other end thereof, whereby in the longitudinal movement of the plunger the tube may -be iiXed in place.

In testimony whereof I aiix my Signature in presence of two witnesses. f

j ALPHONSE BUTSCH. Witnesses GEO. S. E. GORDO, J. W. MYERS.

V(Jopie: of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D.' C. 

